The trade deadline came and gone as the clock struck 4 p.m. yesterday. The trade deadline was quiet for the most part as minor deals were made across the MLL. However, the 2013 trade deadline would not occur without a big splash. Just before the deadline ended, the New York Lizards and Boston Cannons engaged in a blockbuster trade. The trade between the two teams featured Stephen Berger being sent to the Cannons for attackman Steve Mock, a 2014 first round pick, a 2015 second round pick and a 2015 sixth round pick as well. Depending on if Mock plays 10 or more games in each of the next two seasons, the 2015 sixth round pick will be changed to a fourth round pick.
So who won and who lost after Tuesday’s trade deadline? Let’s take a look.
Winners
Boston Cannons
Acquired midfielder Stephen Berger and a 2015 second and sixth round Collegiate Draft selection. (If Mock plays in 10 or more games during the 2013/2014 MLL regular seasons the sixth round pick becomes a fourth round selection)
The Cannons are big winners because the acquisition of Berger adds yet another dimension to an already impressive offense. The midfield, which already boasts Matt Poskay, Mike Stone and Paul Rabil, gets another threat in Berger. Pair that with Ryan Boyle, Kevin Buchanan and the impressive performance of rookies Cameron Flint and Will Manny and defenses will be struggling to contain the Cannons offense.
The acquisition also helps their playoff push for this season as they try and hold onto the last playoff spot. The Cannons also got some draft picks which they will need for the future as they start to replace players like Poskay and Kyle Sweeney.
New York Lizards
Acquired attackman Steve Mock and a 2014 first round Collegiate Draft pick
Normally when you trade one of the better players on your team and a high profile name in the MLL and get a player who hasn’t played yet this season, you would think the Lizards are losers. However, I put New York in the winner’s category for a couple of reasons.
The first reason is that although Mock has not appeared in a game this season, he is reunited with former Cornell teammates Max Seibald and Rob Pannell. Mock had an impressive season for Cornell this past year as he scored 60 goals and also had nine assists. If Mock can crack the attack rotation that features Pannell, Mark Matthews and Tommy Palasek, and rekindles the magic with Pannell from their senior season, then this deal looks great. However, that is a big if.
Also the Lizards got a first round pick in next year’s draft which means they will have the opportunity to draft two top talents next year and continue to build on a pretty solid roster with the likes of Pannell, Matthews, Palasek, Seibald, Stephen Peysert and C.J. Costabile.
Charlotte Hounds
Acquired midfielder Josh Hawkins from Hamilton in exchange for midfielder Josh Amidon and a 2015 first round Collegiate Draft pick
The Hounds are also in the thick of the playoff race and thus made a move to improve their SSDM unit. While Amidon was a solid option on offense, he only had six points in six games played and was basically a second line midfielder.
Hawkins, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, will give the Hounds some great defense and a threat in the transition game. He has two goals this season and was an honorable All-American this past season, where he had 25 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers in only nine games for the Loyola Greyhounds.
He will likely spell Casey Cittadino and Kevin Drew in the SSDM unit as well.
Losers
New York Lizards
How are the Lizards in both the win and loss category? Well they did a good job in getting better for the future. However, they failed to address their needs on the team’s special teams. They are tied for the last spot in the playoffs and did nothing to help themselves.
Defensively, they failed to address their penalty killing unit which has allowed a league-high 20 goals this season. The unit also ranks second to last in penalty killing percentage as they only kill 56 percent of them.
Offensively, they are ranked dead last in man-up percentage despite being tied for first with 42 man-up opportunities. They have only converted eight of their 42 man up chances, which comes out to an abysmal 19 percent.
Rochester Rattlers
The Rattlers need help at the faceoff ‘X’ and didn’t do anything to address the need. With the team in the race for the last playoff spot, one would think that the Rattlers could’ve gotten Matt Delonte who the Chesepeake Bayhawks ended up acquiring for a fourth-round selection, something I think the Rattlers could’ve afforded to part ways with. Before Hamilton committed to rookie Mike Poppleton, Delonte won 67 of 140 faceoffs, good for 47 percent. Although not greatly better than the 44 percent the Rattlers currently post, Delonte would seem to be a nice improvement for a team in need of a faceoff man.
